We want all our players to get the most out of The Classic this year, so to help you on your way we’re hosting Premium Leagues so that you can earn tickets for the big money series. It’s a simple matter of getting in some pre-Classic tournament practice between 28 January and 11 February and being rewarded with tickets by earning points as you play….

During this promotional period we’ll be running three Multi-Table Tournament Premium Leagues, each providing players with €5,000 in The Classic tickets.

The Leagues will cater for all bankrolls, covering buy-ins of €0.50-€5.50, €10-€33 and €50 and over, and you earn points. Play, rack up points as you hone your A-Game, collect tickets and battle it out for the €450,000 in total prizes in The Classic (11-25 February), plus a fantastic trip to Monaco!

Just like the anticipation we might feel when a new season of our favourite TV series is announced, the fact that The Classic will soon return to 32Red elicits similar excitement. From 28 January until 25 February we’ll have loads of tournaments, to suit all tastes and bankrolls, with hundreds of thousands of Euros in prize money and even a special once-in-a-lifetime prize in the form of a VIP, James Bond like Monaco trip. Announcing The Classic!

If you’re inexperienced in tournament play, then there’ll be lots of opportunities to get involved, and no better time to start than with the Mini Classic series, 28 January – 11 February. With buy-ins starting at €1 and total prize money of €45,000, it’s perfect.

Then, starting 11 February, comes The Classic itself, two weeks of tournaments guaranteeing a total prize fund of €450,000. Freezeouts, Rebuys, Monster Rebuys and even Bounty formats are all covered…

The Classic Millionaire Freeroll

27 February will see a very special tournament indeed: The Classic Millionaire Freeroll. You can earn your place in this freeroll by managing to get to the final table of any Classic main event. And it’s worth the effort, because the winner of this tournament will win an amazing, action-packed trip (for two) to Monaco complete with €1,000 to spend in the world-famous casino…

Starting chips for the Freeroll are awarded in accordance with finishing position, so you can accumulate more each time you make a final table.

Bubble Bursters Freerolls

Finally, there will be aptly named Bubble Bursters Freerolls for anyone bubbling during the series. The Mini Bubble Bursters Freeroll will be held on 13 February at 7pm GMT, with €1,000 in The Classic main event tickets to be won. A fortnight later, 27 February at 7pm GMT, comes the Bubble Bursters Freeroll for The Classic main event bubblers, where €2,500 in cash prizes will be up for grabs.

‘Classic’ is an over-used word that should suggest quality but rarely does. At 32Red, The Classic series of tournaments that runs until 15 January promises to live up to the true definition of the word: namely ‘the established standard, the highest rank’ …

And that isn’t just because the total guaranteed prize money over the 30 standard freezeout tournaments amounts to a whopping €350,000. It isn’t just about the money. Well, it is, we hear you say, but even if the ultimate aim is to win, it’s vital that you both enjoy yourself along the way and feel that you’re getting value and a fair crack of the whip.

With this in mind, we‘ve put together a varied series of freezeout events that is easy on the bankroll and lends itself to a level playing field. A combination of affordable buy-ins and many cheap-as-chips satellite tournaments means that The Classic is a genuine every-man festival.

There’s something ‘pure’ about the freezeout format in that players don’t have the (quasi-) luxury of being able to gamble, rebuy, gamble, rebuy and so on. Instead, control, patience, timing and guile are more of a priority because there’s just the one starting stack on which to build your tournament success. No second chances, no lifeline, no phone a friend – everyone starts with the same chance, and the trick is to navigate your way around, bobbing and weaving through the freezeout jungle.

Of course, we also like to add something extra to our special events, and this time there are two additional, exclusive freerolls that will benefit both winners and the less fortunate. First, we have the €10,000 Final Table Heroes Freeroll (22 January; 6:30pm GMT). To qualify you need to make just one final table. The winner of this event will be crowned the Classic Hero…

Then we have the aptly named Bubble Busters Freeroll (22 January; 4pm GMT), with five €215 Sunday Showdown tickets up for grabs. You can earn your place in this tournament only by being knocked out ‘on the bubble’ (i.e. finishing 31st when the top 30 are paid).